The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-06-23
Dr.. TalmageIs First Cigar.

The time had come IN my BOY
hood which | thought demanded
Of me a capacity to smoke. The
old people Of the household could
abide neither the sight nor the
smell of the Virginia weed. When
ministers came there, not by posi-
tive injunction. but by sort of in
stinct as to what would be safest,
they wlifed their pipes Oh the back
steps. If the house could not stand
sanctifed smoke, it may be imagin,
ed how little chance there was for
adolesccnt cigar putting.
BY some rare good fortune which
put in my haLds three cents,
found access to a tobacco store. As
the lid OF the long, narrow, fra
grant box opened, and for the first
time | owned Il cigar, my feelings
of citation, manliness, superiority
and anticipation can scarcely be
imagined save by those who have
had the same sensation. When !
put the cigar to my lips and stuck q
lucifer match to the end Of the weed
and commenced to pull with al en-
ergy that brought every facial mus
Gle to Its utmost tension, my salts
faction with this world was 50
great my temptation was never to
want to leave it.
The cigar did not burn we'll. l,
required an amount Of suction that
tasked my determination to the ut
most. You see that my worldly
means had limited me to a quality
that cost only three cents. But ]
had been Taught that nothing great
was accomplished without effort,
and so l pulled away. Indeed,
mad heard my older brothers IN
their latin lessons say, onop5a Utncu
labor; which, translated, means, if
you want to make anything go, you
must scratch for it.
With these sentiments, / passed
down the village street and out to
ward my country home. My heart
did not feel exactly right, and the
street began to rock from side to
side, so that it became rather I'm
certain to me which side of the
street l was on. So ] crossed over
but found myself on the same side
that | was on before | crossed over
Indeed, | imagined that | was on
both sides at the same time, and
several fast teams were driving be
tween. / met another hoy who
asked me why | looked so pale, and
| told him that l did not look pale,
out that he was pale himself. AT
ter some further walking, | sat
down under the bridge near my
house ana began to reflect on the
prospects of early decease, and on
the uncertainty of all earthly ex-
pectations. l had determined to
smoke the cigar all up, and thus get
The full worth of my money, but was
finally obliged to throw three
fourths of it away. | knew how
ever, exactly where | threw it in
case l should feel better the next
day.
Getting home, the old people were
frightened, and demanded of me an
explanation as to my absence and
the rather whitish color Of my com
plexion. Not feeling that | was
called to go into particulars, and
not wishing to increase my parent s
apprehension that ! was going to
turn out badly, l summed up the
case with the statement that | felt
miserable at the pit of my stomach.
Mustard plasters were immediately
administered and | received careful
watching for some hours. Finally
/ fell asleep, :and forgot my disap
pointment and humiliation in being
obliged to throw away three fourths
of my first cigar.